1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to temperature sensors, and more particularly, to resistance temperature detectors and diagnostic systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Resistance Temperature Detector (“RTD”) is commonly used for sensing the temperature of an environment by measuring the electrical characteristics of the RTD. More specifically, each RTD includes circuitry with electrical characteristics, e.g., resistance, that change depending on the ambient temperature of the RTD's environment. The respective relationships between each RTD's electrical characteristics and the temperature are generally known for each type of RTD. Accordingly, a RTD is selected for a particular application based upon the RTD's electrical characteristics, the temperatures of the environment, the RTD's responsiveness, or another desired factor. For example, a RTD can be selected because of its ability to measure extreme temperatures of an industrial process. In some of these industrial environments, the temperatures measured by the RTD provide critical temperature data used by the process control and safety systems.